Covert Cooperation

Intelligence agencies increasingly have a global reach when they intercept the underseas telecommunications cables that connect our world. Beyond jointly developing and deploying surveillance technology, they also share the intelligence they gather and store. While there are often domestic rules purporting to protect privacy and civil liberties, the rules permitting cooperation between intelligence agencies are less clear or contain loopholes that sidestep domestic legal constraints.

Ten INCLO members have filed Freedom of Information (FOI) requests in an attempt to shine a light on this shadow practice. This is the first multinational coalition demanding that governments release any and all information regarding agreements between intelligence agencies and provide answers about a practice largely shielded from accountability. As member organizations receive responses to the FOIs, we will publish any documents released to them. Please see our draft report here on our findings to date.